Row over NCS fundraising on Telford & Wrekin Council land
It is a Government-backed scheme that allows 16 year olds to experience team building and help their community.
But now the National Citizen Service has found itself embroiled in a row between a town’s MP and its council.
NCS offers a mixture of adventure, work experience and helping good causes.
It is open to Year 11 students and has been taken up by hundreds of youngsters in Shropshire over the summer holidays.
But MP Lucy Allan has accused council officials of hampering the experience by ‘banning’ the teenagers from Telford town centre.
The Telford MP claimed the council had blocked youngsters from carrying our collections or community campaigns in areas it owns like Southwater Square, libraries and leisure centres.
The council hit back at the claims, saying there were national regulations which govern street collections and that fundraising groups were welcome to apply for a street collection permit.
Ms Allan said she was responding to complaints from local NCS members, who said they believed the council had told staff to move youngsters along if they tried to raise funds.
She said: “NCS does a fantastic job with our young people in Telford every year, so you can imagine I was shocked to learn that the council had banned NCS from doing community action projects in public space in Telford. You have to wonder at this council’s priorities.
“It seems the political leadership of the council are opposed to the Government’s NCS programme preferring to see government youth services funding spent on council-run projects.
“Public space belongs to all of us and it is not something to be denied to our young people because a small group of councillors are opposed to a government scheme.
"I urge the council leader to lead by example and put the interests of our community and young people before narrow party politics.”
Today the council said it was happy to work with the NCS – and highlighted the fact its leader Councillor Shaun Davies had drawn a raffle organised by the students.
Council spokesman Russell Griffin said: “We are fully supportive of the NCS project and many young people across the borough including school pupils are all taking part.
“A number of NCS teams have been working from Wellington Leisure Centre and from outside Meeting Point House in Southwater Square, selling cakes and raising money for local charities.”
What is the National Citizen Service?
National Citizen Service is split into three parts – a week away on an adventure holiday, another spent in a university halls of residence and a final part carrying out good works in the community.
Tens of thousands of teenagers take part and hundreds of thousands of pounds is raised for local causes.
The scheme was announced by Prime Minister David Cameron in 2010 as part of the Big Society initiative and was launched the following year.
In the time since then, the scheme has proven very successful with 400,000 youngsters aged between 15 and 17 getting involved.
The three or four-week experience costs £50 and includes accommodation, food and activities.
It starts with time at an outdoor activity centre.
The week-long excursion see groups teaming up to take on adrenaline-fuelled challenges like rock climbing, canoeing, hiking and archery.
In a second week, the groups of up to 15 are reunited in a university-style environment where they learn about developing confidence, leadership and communication.
The youngsters can try out a range of activities including photography, editing, football coaching or business in the hopes of finding out something new about themselves.
The third week of the course sees the teenagers take on a social action project. The groups must plan their own fundraising projects in the hope of making a difference.
